Never-Before-Heard Live Recordings to be Released
Live recordings by Louis Armstrong, Miles Davis, Thelonious Monk, Sarah Vaughan & Dizzy Gillespie culled from Monterey Jazz Fest Archives.To celebrate its 50th year, The Monterey Jazz Festival has launched its own record label—Monterey Jazz Festival Records (the first of its kind), through which it will release selections from its enormous tape archive of over 2000 hours of concert recordings. The label will debut on August 21 with five never-before-heard live tracks from legends Louis Armstrong, Miles Davis, Thelonious Monk, Sarah Vaughan & Dizzy Gillespie as well as newer recordings by contemporary groups.
According to eJazzNews, the details on the five highly anticipated releases are as follows: “Louis Armstrong (caught headlining the first night of the festival in 1958); Miles Davis (introducing to the West Coast his soon-to-be-classic '60s quintet rhythm section in 1963); Thelonious Monk (his quartet augmented by bassist Steve Swallow and an expanded five-piece festival workshop in 1964); Dizzy Gillespie (in 1965 having expanded his usual quintet with Kenny Barron and James Moody to a sextet by adding Big Black on congas) and Sarah Vaughan (backed by a young Bill Mays, Bob Magnusson and Jimmy Cobb - and one tune with the Jazz at the Philharmonic All-Stars in 1971).”
MJFR general manager Jason Olaine, (former director of A&R at Verve Records from 1999-2004) says that the label also promises to focus on jazz-future artists: "We're not going to be stuck in a jazz time warp," he says. "We're excited to deliver important historical music, as well as assemble special projects and all-star ensembles to debut at the festival each year."
This year's jazz-future lineup includes bassist Dave Holland, pianist Gonzalo Rubalcaba, saxophonist Chris Potter and drummer Eric Harland as well as the MJF’s 50th-year project that includes trumpeter Terence Blanchard, saxophonist James Moody, vocalist Nnenna Freelon, bassist Derrick Hodge, drummer Kendrick Scott and pianist Benny Green. Both ensembles will be documented live at MJF/50 for possible upcoming releases, with the latter going on a 50-date US tour early next year.
The MJF began in 1958 on the Monterey Fairgrounds south of San Francisco and holds the record for the longest-running jazz festival. The three day event (to be held this year from September 21-23) features acts on nine different stages spread across the festival's 20-acre grounds.
Visit the
MJF website for more information.
